Page 76 of Styx & Stones

CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

ALASKA

Iexhale a deep breathand close my eyes. His dad was just in here twenty minutes ago, so it’s not like I didn’t know Styx was still alive and well but seeing his profile pic flash up on Facetime makes my heart skip and stutter. I hit accept, and his face fills my screen.

“There she is.” He shifts against the pillows, his brows creasing with a wince. “Jesus, baby, you scared the shit out of me.”

“The feeling’s mutual, loner boy. Imagine my surprise when I woke after surgery to find that you’ve collapsed.”

“Yeah, sorry about that.”

“Typical. You’re always trying to steal my thunder.”

He smiles, and I smile back.

“They shaved the rest of my hair.” I point to the side of my head now covered with bandages.

“I see that.”

“Now I really look like I have cancer. You know, in case everyone couldn’t already tell by the Frankenstein scar on my head.”

“Nah, you’re a badass. You look like Charlize Theron inFury Road.”

“But Asian, right?”

“That’s the best kind of badass,” he says in a husky tone that sends my heart racing and causes my flesh to prickle with heat. I remember that voice in the shower after Disneyland, as we’d touched, and he’d kissed me in places I didn’t know boys could kiss.

Before it all went to hell.

“It’s so good to see your face, Stones.” His smile is half dazed, like all he wants to do is look at me. As if both of us making it through surgery isn’t miracle enough.

“You should have been here when they took out my drainage tube. Not so pretty then.” I laugh, and white-hot pain shoots through my skull. My head swims and I close my eyes and breathe.

“Stones ... you okay?”

“Yeah, I just ... I don’t know. I get this pain sometimes.”

“Have you told the surgeon?”

“Yeah. He said it’s normal after this kind of procedure.” I roll my eyes, but even that hurts. “Is it wrong to miss chemo? I’d take puking over brain surgery any day.”